NWA 16314 Carbonaceous Chondrite - CK5 Meteorite - 8.6g - From A Carbonaceous Asteroid!

This brand new NWA 16314 CK5 Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite is a rare class of a meteorite that contains the building blocks of life! 

If you follow the news, you would have recently seen that NASA just sampled asteroid Bennu, which is a carbonaceous asteroid. This is as pristine and unaltered as a meteorite gets. It makes for an excellent addition to any collection, and is a great conversation starter!

About Carbonaceous Chondrites:

Carbonaceous chondrites are a significant subset of stony meteorites that provide valuable insights into the early solar system's history. These meteorites make up an extremely small portion of the total number of fallen meteorites and are classified into several distinct, rare groups, based on their chemical composition, mineralogy, and oxygen isotopic signatures. 

Like other chondrites, carbonaceous chondrites have undergone varying degrees of alteration, whether through exposure to water, heat, or a combination of both. One group, CI, has undergone such extensive alteration that few of its original features remain. Interestingly, these meteorites no longer exhibit any signs of chondrules, which are a defining characteristic of chondrites. Despite this, scientists continue to classify them as part of the chondrite family due to their chemical makeup and other distinctive features.

Fun Fact:  Not all carbonaceous chondrites contain significant amounts of carbon, even though it was thought to believe that the dark matrix meant otherwise. The dark color is actually a result of the abundance of fine-grained matrix in these meteorites.

About Stony Meteorites:

Stony meteorites are the most common meteorites, making up the majority of the meteorites discovered here on Earth.  They are divided into two groups: chondrites, which are some of the oldest primitive material in our entire solar system originating from large asteroids, and achondrites, which include meteorites that derived from our moon and Mars.

*Note - Lunar and Martian-originated meteorites will always be indicated as such on the listing. Any other meteorite listed will have originated from an asteroid.